


Calm before the storm

by CyberpunkThot



Series: No Future [3]
Category: Cyberpunk 2077 (Video Game)
Genre: Canon Typical Violence, M/M, Past Rape/Non-con, Rating will go up, Recovery, Slow Burn, but none in this fic, do life hacks exist in the future? Yes, past abusive relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2019-01-27
Packaged: 2019-09-15 05:40:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16927500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CyberpunkThot/pseuds/CyberpunkThot
Summary: V and Jackie are slowly navigating their way through a new relationship.After everything, V is finally ready to move on with his life and focus on a brighter future with the help of Jackie by his side.So focused on trying to live his best life, V isn’t aware that his past still isn’t quite done with him.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Heeey. I am back with the next part of my story. I hope you’ll enjoy it. 
> 
> I just want V to be happy ok! I enjoy getting ready so why can’t V have a good time getting ready. And I’m sure life hacks are now a part of all future, don’t fight me on this. 
> 
> This is just a little prologue to get us back in the flow.

Despite V and Jackie confirming their feelings for each other, their dynamic didn’t really change much. V could tell that Jackie was trying to give him space and room to heal but V didn’t need that. He needed Jackie to just touch him already. The large man however, never initiated anything, V could understand the reasons why but that didn’t mean he had to agree with it. It was true that when that stranger touched V a few weeks ago, he didn’t like it one bit. He didn’t want to be touched by anyone other than Jackie, at least he thought he did. He wanted Jackie to touch him, he wanted to touch Jackie. He wanted to feel close with someone. At least Jackie didn’t mind too much when V wanted to hold hands under the table when they got drinks at Afterlife. The young man couldn’t quite get his thoughts straight, Rocky had really messed him up but V could get pass this. He had to.

It was early evening in Night City but that just meant that the real fun was just beginning. Jackie was arranging a job for the both of them to take on elsewhere in the city, leaving V to his own devices before they were due to meet up at Afterlife in a couple of hours. It wasn’t a date, more of a briefing, but it wouldn’t last all night and they could enjoy themselves afterwards. V considered it a date and he was going to treat it like one. He hadn’t had an official date before, not with Rocky and not with Jackie. Maybe he should ask Jackie if they could go somewhere, he’d like that. But what if Jackie didn’t want to? V didn’t want to make Jackie mad. But Jackie wouldn’t get mad, he might even know a cool place for them to go. After all, Jackie knew his way around Night City like a true resident, V just knew Watson and even that was limited.

Not really sure what to do with his time until later that evening, V visited the night market, looking for a new outfit to impress his partner. A little bit of retail therapy couldn’t hurt. Browsing the various stalls, V wasn’t particularly feeling very inspired. He continued to search for something that would make him look good but ultimately make him feel good. 

After looking over a few more stalls, V sighed to himself and decided he could probably get crafty at home and customise some of his current clothes. It would save eddies too and V needed every Eurodollar he could get right now.

The walk back home was pretty uneventful, the young cyberpunk walked by a homeless guy getting harassed by two youths. Chuckling under his breath, it reminded V of his own youth, before it all went to shit. Well, went to more shit anyway. The young pair weren’t exactly hurting him, just being a pain, but V understood the small joy it brought. Growing up in a gang didn’t exactly leave you with good morals but it meant you could survive a tough life on the streets. 

Arriving home, V removed his outer ware and thought what he should do next. Looking at the time V realised he only had about an hour until he was due to meet up with Jackie. Trying to find an outfit at the market took more time than he thought it would, and he didn’t even have anything to show for it. First things first, he should probably have a shower, it had been another warm day and although V didn’t mind the smell on others, he didn’t like it on himself. 

The warm spray from the shower was welcome on the aching muscles in V’s body. He had healed up relatively well with minimum scarring, only a broken nose and a scarred lip to show for his ordeal. V reached down and cleaned his dick and ass well, knowing Jackie wouldn’t do anything but V lived in hope. His ass wasn’t sore anymore, it still made him feel a bit weird when he touched it too much, more the memories affecting him than the actual touch. Sighing deeply, V knew he would get over this weird feeling but he didn’t want to burden Jackie further. So he quickly finished washing and got out the shower.

Drying off and heading to the living space with a towel around his waist, V dashed over to his wardrobe and threw the doors open wide. Looking over his clothes, V had that feeling that he suddenly didn’t like anything he owned, he had to fix that. Grabbing a few shirts and throwing them on the bed, followed by a few pairs of old jeans, V soon followed perching himself on the edge. 

He chose a pair of faded denim jeans and held them up, they didn’t look too bad but they looked a bit worn and not in a cool way. Sliding the jeans on over his legs, V looked at himself in the mirror, they still fit really well. Or at least V’s continued workout regime had helped him to fill them out nicely. Shame they looked like he’d worn them for at least fifty years straight, but they didn’t have to! V was struck with sudden inspiration, he’d remembered a ‘life-hack’ from one of those videos he’s seen trending all over the place. 

Scrambling around in the kitchen drawers until he found what he was looking for, he finally got his hands on what he needed. He triumphantly held up a grater and a pair of old scissors. Now that video made this look easy but V knew they weren’t ever as simple as they made it look, but V wasn’t worried. He had taken up some hobbies in an effort to keep his mind distracted from the memories of Rocky, and that included following stupid life-hack accounts, much to the annoyance of his appointed test subject: Jackie. Maybe this time it will be a success to add to the small list of useful hacks as opposed to the never ending list of failed ones. 

Returning to his bedroom, V looked at himself once more in the mirror, deciding where he should alter the denim. Happy with his mental image, V removed his jeans and laid them out on the bed, carefully cutting lines in the places he wanted. It was too late to go back now, it was all or nothing. Armed with the grater, V got to work distressing the denim around the cuts he’d made. After a few minutes of furious grating, V held the jeans up in front of him, they looked pretty good if he did say so himself. Pulling them on once more, V looked at himself in the mirror. They made him look pretty good, they made him feel pretty good too. He needed to remind himself that he wasn’t worthless like Rocky had told him so much, he liked how he looked now and he wouldn’t let the past affect him anymore. He was strong after all.

Looking at the time once again, V has really gotten carried away, only half an hour left until he was due to meet his friend. He didn’t want to let Jackie down by being late. The shirts laying on his bed weren’t really that cool either but V decided that he would just turn one into a crop top. He used to do it quite a lot when he first arrived in Night City, without many clothes he often bought second hand shirts that were too big and cutting the bottom half off was an easy solution to make them fit. Plus V liked how his stomach looked, Jackie had told V to embrace the things he liked and not focus on the things he doesn’t. Maybe Jackie liked seeing V showing of parts of his body but didn’t want to admit it, the thought made V feel hot. The idea that Jackie got turned on by seeing the younger man exposing his midrift was a good one, but V knew he might be getting carried away. After all, Jackie was just trying to boost V’s self esteem back up, and V appreciated that. 

Deciding on a dark old band tee (a find from a local thrift store, V hadn’t even heard of the band but liked the logo), he confidently cut straight across the middle of the torso, shortening the length. 

Pulling the shirt over his head, V stood in front of the mirror and nodded at his reflection. In his rush to get ready, V didn’t actually see where he should have cut but he was happy with the result. It may have been cut a bit higher than he normally would have liked and it made him feel a bit unsure, especially if he was going to the bar. He won’t have to worry though, Jackie will be there, V relaxed knowing that. Although he liked the looks he used to get, he wasn’t so keen on the unwanted touches. 

Finally happy with his outfit, the young man shoved his feet into a pair of sturdy black boots, tucking the laces in instead of doing them up just like a child. V made way to the bathroom to do a final check. His hair had dried naturally which meant it was all over the place. Only last week, V had wanted to change his look slightly, getting a new haircut done by someone who actually knew what they were doing. He’d decided to shave the back and sides short, leaving an unruly mop of dark hair on top. V liked it, he usually pushed it back, keeping it out of his face but today his hair was not on the same page. Deciding that he didn’t have enough time left to win that battle, he left it as it was. 

Going back to his room, V chose a black leather jacket to complete his look. Looking back at his reflection, he couldn’t help but feeling that something was missing. The neckline of his tee was a bit low, nothing obscene but V felt he needed to break up the skin on show. Opening his bedside table, V pulled out a simple black choker and quickly put it on. Turning to face his reflection for hopefully the last time that evening, V scanned his outfit to make sure he was ready for his night with Jackie. Finally happy with his look, V grabbed the essentials, shoving them in his pockets and heading out the door. He didn’t second guess his look. Why should he? He liked it, what does it matter what anyone else thought. However, V did care about one persons opinion. Would Jackie like it? Only five minutes to get to Afterlife and he would soon have his answer.


	2. Chapter 2

Arriving at Afterlife fashionably late, V made his way towards the booth that Jackie and himself have claimed as theirs. V ignored everyone else in the place, focused only on getting to where Jackie was seated. 

Looking up from his beer, Jackie’s face broke out in a broad smile, “there he is, you’re late!”

“I was busy,” V replied with a bright smile of his own. Jackie had a bottle of beer waiting for V, it would have been cold too if he was here on time, though he still took a sip of the luke warm liquid. “It takes time to look this good,” to demonstrate, he ran a hand down his chest. Smiling to himself as he watched Jackie’s gaze follow his movements. “Do you like it?” V didn’t really need a verbal answer, his friends reaction was proof enough that he did. He took a seat, removing his jacket.

Clearing his throat and taking a sip of beer, Jackie quickly looked away composing himself. “I do, very much,” he leant forward on the table, meeting V’s gaze, “you always look good V.” 

Jackie eyes dropped down to V’s lips briefly but it was enough for V to notice. So V leant forward, closing the gap, meeting Jackie in a chaste kiss. He moved forward to try and deepen the kiss but Jackie just hummed and pulled away. Before V could feel too hurt though, the large man hummed, “why don’t we get this business talk out the way first, hmm?”

Despite feeling a little disappointed, he knew his friend was right. The younger man couldn’t miss the way his friends eyes kept moving over his body though. Feeling like his efforts didn’t go to waste, V felt a little proud with himself. Blushing a bit under the attention, V wanted to get the boring business talk out the way so they could get into more fun things, “so how was that meeting anyway?” 

Jackie scratched the back of his neck, a nervous gesture that V had picked up on. “Some store owner didn’t pay up to the local gang so to teach ‘em a lesson the sons of bitches took their kid,” he didn’t sound too happy about the situation. “Our job is to get her back, but the main problem is, there’s about ten of them and only two of us.”

“Nothing we can’t handle, we can reunite that family in no time,” feeling quite optimistic about taking on some real work, V couldn’t wait to get back into the real nitty gritty of things. He was getting bored of doing grunt work while he was healing up, a real job is just what he needed. Maybe more so he needed a real fight with no concern for the other party, sparring with Jackie was fun, but they always stopped before it got good. Plus saving that kid was important to V and he wanted to be useful for a change. “When we going?”

“V you don’t have to do this, ther-“

“I can do it Jackie! I’m just as good as I ever was ok? Just need to jump back in and do it yeah? I can do this.” V looked down at his drink, he just wanted things to go back to normal. He knew Jackie was just looking out for him but V didn’t want to be treated like some fragile being anymore.

“Ok ese, we go in the morning, they’re holed up in an old apartment complex off Main. They won’t hurt the kid until they try and collect again from the parents. Think we try and get the jump on them but until we get there and see what we’re working with we won’t really know.” Jackie always sounded so confident when he described a plan, it made V envious, it must be nice to know exactly what you’re talking about.

“Cool, the sooner we get that kid back the better,” V took another sip of his beer, satisfied that the job was discussed. As far as V was concerned that was all the formal talk they needed, now they could enjoy the rest of their night. Realising they were both running low on drinks, V took it upon himself to buy the next round, “same again?” He gestured towards Jackie’s drink.

“Sure thing ese, if you’re buying!” Jackie let out a hearty chuckle. It made V smile.

At the bar, V was waiting for his drinks when he could feel his eyes on his back. Looking over his shoulder, he could see Jackie watching him, it gave him an idea. Quickly pulling his jeans up, V leant forward on the bar, wanting to show Jackie just how well they hugged his body. He kept his eyes locked on Jackie’s, but Jackie’s kept looking elsewhere, lower down. 

V’s attention was broken when the bartender slammed two bottles of beer down in front of him, getting his attention. Giving the bartender a dirty look, V snatched the beer and made his way back to the table. 

Sliding onto the seat next to Jackie this time, V shimmied in close, passing Jackie his bottle. “So,” V leant back against the seat, “we get this done, we should have enough eddies to have some real fun!”

“We don’t need eddies to have fun, ese,” Jackie drunk from his own beer, letting an arm rest on the seat behind V.

Ignoring Jackie’s comment, V was too focused on his next dream purchase, “think about it Jack, I want to get those new upgrades. I think they’re called mantis blades, imagine how much easier they’d make the job!” He always spoke passionately about cyberware. Once he’d re-discovered his independence, he’d taken a great interest in improving himself with cyberware, it was great. 

“You get them, I better remember to stay on your good side,” Jackie put his arm around V’s shoulders, shaking him as he laughed at his joke.

V stiffened up slightly, not enough that Jackie noticed. When Jackie’s arm remained on his shoulder and the conversation moved to more general topics, V realised that he liked the warmth and security of Jackie’s arm around him. It was nice, V couldn’t remember when such a simple gesture meant so much to him, he could get used to this. This was nice but he wanted more.

“Maybe we should go and get an early night, don’t want to be hungover for that job tomorrow,” V leant into Jackie’s embrace. He enjoyed his warmth, sliding a hand onto Jackie’s thick thigh. 

Instinctively, Jackie lowered his arm to circle around V’s waist and hold him close. Feeling the warm hand of his friend brush against the exposed skin of his waist caused V to startle. Jackie instantly withdrew his hand, “mierda, sorry V!”

V quickly recovered, not wanting Jackie to feel bad, he reached for his hand again. “Don’t worry, I...” Why did V react that way? It had felt weird. But V trusted Jackie, he wanted Jackie to touch him. “I don’t know, I just-“

“Hey V, it’s alright,” Jackie held V’s hand, rubbing his thumb along the knuckles, “I should have asked.”

Frustrated with himself, V looked away, Jackie didn’t need to ask just to touch V’s waist. He spun around and quickly flashed a smile at his friend, “let’s get going yeah?” He bounces out of the seat, eager to put this little hiccup behind him. Reaching for his jacket and putting it on. 

Jackie, reading his companions reactions, thought it best not to push the matter. “Ok, ok, I’m getting up,” he slowly rose, stretching out after being cramped in that booth.

“You can walk me home,” V made his way to Jackie’s side, grabbing his arm and pulling it over his shoulder.

Taken aback by the gesture, Jackie recovered, giving V what he wanted - he tightened his grip around V’s shoulders. They walked out into the cool night air and Jackie held V close, “Let’s get going then, ese.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you notice my subtle mantis blades reference. Subtle as a brick.
> 
> I hope you’re liking so far! Let me know!


	3. Chapter 3

The walk home had been uneventful, but V had enjoyed being close to Jackie, sharing body heat in the slightly chilly night air. They arrived at V’s front door and there was an awkward silence between the two, usually they continue to drink inside but Jackie wasn’t exactly heading that way. Not really sure what to say, V quickly thought of something, anything, to break the tension, “you are allowed in y’know!” He stood to the side of the entrance, hoping Jackie would get the message and move inside.

Jackie looked down the hall, opened his mouth as if to say something but abruptly closed it again. He looked at V as he rubbed the back of his neck, all before finally sighing and accepting V’s offer, “sure thing ese! You have beer right?” Nudging V playfully on his way in, Jackie removed his jacket and hung it near the door. 

“Always Jack!” V winked at his large friend before retrieving a couple of beers from the vending machine in his room. He passed a can to Jackie as he slumped down into the seat next to him, “what a day huh? And tomorrow is gonna be shit too I can already tell!”

“Don’t be like that V, like you said, just got to jump back into it right?” Jackie put his arm on the seat behind V, wanting to be close but still keep a bit of distance between them. 

V sighed before turning to face his friend, “you’re right Jack! Who cares if we’re outnumbered?” He shrugged dramatically, “maybe I am a bit nervous about it though? Been a while since I’ve had a living target.”

“You said you are just as good as ever, I believe that! Try not to worry too much yeah?” Jackie looked down at V, a look that was full of care and reassurance. 

How could V feel nervous about that job when he had Jackie by his side. He shook his head and let out a nervous chuckle, sometimes he got too much inside his own head, but having Jackie here really helped. “Y’know, I could use something to calm my nerves,” V took a sudden move to straddle Jackie’s lap, running his hands up and down the man’s thick neck. 

“V, you don’t have t-“

“I want to!” V knew Jackie was only looking out for him but V wanted to feel close to someone, “just a kiss.” He slid his hands down Jackie’s exposed chest, playing with his golden chains.

“Hmm,” Jackie kept his hands to himself, not wanting to spook V like he did earlier, but the smaller man had other plans. He took Jackie’s hands and kissed each palm before placing them around his neck. Jackie used his new hold on V to bring his head forward and place a kiss on his forehead.

“A proper kiss Jackie,” V pouted, shifting slightly on Jackie’s lap. He held Jackie’s face in his hands and leant close, closing the space between them and meeting Jackie in a chaste kiss. 

It wasn’t long though until V was licking along Jackie’s bottom lip, asking permission to go inside. Chuckling into the kiss, Jackie indulged V, letting him set the pace. He was careful though, running his hands through V’s hair and keeping his touch light. 

V moaned into Jackie’s mouth as he deepened the kiss, enjoying the closeness, but Jackie was the first to pull away. “Think we should call it a night,” he smoothed V’s hair down and cupped his cheek.

“Fine,” V didn’t want Jackie to leave though, it had been nice, “wanna stay over?” 

Jackie scratched his chin for a moment, pushing V off his lap so he could stand and stretch his arms high above his head, “sure thing ese. Means we’ll get an early start.”

V couldn’t be mad that he had been pushed aside when he was rewarded a slight glimpse of skin when Jackie stretched. “Not too early! I need my beauty sleep!” He places a hand on his chest, “not all of us wake up looking good y’know.”

“Oh I know V, that’s why you’re always late!” Jackie laughed, whenever he teased V he’d puff his cheeks out and the tips of his ears would turn red, Jackie thought he looked cute.

“Whatever!” V got up and made his way to the bedroom, turning towards the larger man before he entered, “you know where the bathroom is. Don’t keep me waiting!”

“V I don’t-“

“Relax Jackie jeez! I don’t want whatever you’re thinking about, you just stink!” V laughed himself as he went into his bedroom. Of course it would be nice to have a good tumble in the sheets with his new lover, but he knew that he wasn’t quite ready for that yet. Although it will still be pleasant to sleep next to someone for a change, V felt excited. He quickly changed into his pyjamas and got into bed, waiting for Jackie to join so they could get some rest before that job tomorrow.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Now updates on Sundays!” He says. Sorry that I didn’t post last week, I have no excuse, I’m lazy.

After a decent nights sleep and a morning spent preparing weapons and discussing strategy, the two found themselves sitting in the car opposite a nondescript building.

“So, the place used to belong to some corporation but had to ditch it due to legal troubles,” Jackie explained. “Been empty ever since, but it seems a gangs decided to set up shop,” he meant back in the seat and scratched his chin.

“Hmm,” V was leaning forward, trying to get a good scan of the area. “I can get the blueprints pretty easy, the old files aren’t exactly being protected. But who knows what kind of traps and shit they’ve got in there,” it was hard having to do a job will little intel but V needed to do something useful again. He needed an excuse to kick ass and not worry about the consequences.

“Could say we got the money?” Jackie looked thoughtfully towards the building, strategising was never their forte, “or we could just barge the fuck in there?” 

V was silent for a moment, tapping on his holodeck. He scrolled through several pages before interfacing directly with the device. Jackie watched him work, admiring the look of concentration on his face. “Ok!” V sat up straight, “it was a commercial building! Shop floor at the front, employee entrance and offices at the back. They’ve probably got the kid in the old managers office, looks like the most secure place anyway but what the fuck do I know.” He shrugged, this was all theory, the interior of the building could be entirely different now than it was years ago. “Perhaps we should just go in the old employee entrance, stick to the stairs and clear rooms towards the old managers office?”

Listening carefully, Jackie nodded, “those pendejos were using street modded shit.”

“That means they could have some more firepower inside,” V shrugged on his jacket. It was more than just a fashion statement, the fabric was lined with ballistic fibre, they’d need as much protection as they could get. “Ok hear me out...we go in the back, try and keep takedowns quiet. Maybe they’ve got a network we could use. Element of surprise right? Keep the kid alive. We grab the kid and get out. Hopefully the bodies we leave behind is hint enough for these assholes to fuck off!” He looked over at Jackie, seeing that he was just waiting to finish, “Jackie!” 

“I’m listening V,” Jackie looked away, not able to cope with the smaller man’s intense gaze. “It’s just...”

“Just what?!” If Jackie had an issue with V’s plan he better say so now and not when they get shot to heck and it’s too late.

“Nothing,” the larger man looked over at V, “just you really got it all planned out. I’m proud.” He smiled warmly over at V. 

V wasn’t expecting that. Hearing Jackie say something like that made heat rise to his cheeks. The moment making V look out the window. “Yeah...well...you spend a few weeks not doing much but surfing the Net, you gotta pick up a thing or two,” he shrugged. It was hard to accept such a genuine compliment. So V finished with a small smile aimed towards Jackie and then he quickly got out of the car.

Making his way towards the trunk, V sighed heavily, why did Jackie say that? He knew that V could plan things out. Was it just because they’d only known about this job for less than 24 hours? Whatever, V would try to accept it, he just needed to spill some blood and he’d feel better for sure. Opening the trunk, V retrieved his weapons, a couple of pistols should be enough - there was only about 10 targets right?

“You stay behind me until the shit hits the fan,” V checked his sights as he saw Jackie retrieve and prepare his own firepower. “Don’t need them seeing you and freaking out,” he stopped when he heard an offended huff from his friend. “What? You’re a big guy! They see you first, they will pull out their big guns! It’s a compliment Jack,” V walked past him, patting him on the chest as he went, “you won’t hear me complaining.” 

It took a moment for Jackie to follow V, he knew the other man was right, but there were nicer ways of saying it. “Ok then V, I trust you.”

Another statement that made V’s heart flutter. It didn’t matter if Jackie had meant that as an attempt at banter or if it was genuine - it was important to V. “Sure sure,” waving his hand in the air to quiet his friend, “just stay down and focus. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we get paid, the sooner we can party!”

Chuckling to himself at V’s enthusiasm, Jackie locked and loaded, followed his companion on the approach to the not-so-abandoned building. They stuck to the shadows and approached the old employee entrance with guns drawn, keeping the noise to a minimum. V held his hand up in a fist to stop Jackie from going further. He thought he heard movement nearby but after a moment decided it wasn’t anything important. Signalling for the larger man to brace himself on the the other side of the door, V put his hand on the handle. He looked over at Jackie one more time, keeping his voice low he asked, “you ready to get this party started?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One action chapter coming up!

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think. I love reading your comments. 
> 
> I’m over on tumblr @ cyberpunk-thot


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